Are you cyber aware?

22 December 2017

The government’s cyber aware campaign encourages individuals and small businesses to adopt simple activities that make a big difference, such as installing the latest software and app updates, backing-up your most important data and providing staff with cyber awareness training.

HMRC’stax agent blog has shared some advice from their cyber security team about the steps businesses can take to protect themselves. From the time lost dealing with an attack, to possible reputational damage, the impact can be considerable.

Here are some of the simple activities that individuals and small businesses can adopt:

Always install the latest software and app updates - they contain vital security updates which help protect devices from viruses and hackers

Always back-up your most important data - to an external hard drive or a cloud-based storage system. If your business’ devices are infected by a virus or accessed by a hacker, your data may be damaged or deleted

Provide staff with cyber awareness training- simple measures like incentivising staff to report phishing emails or educating them on ‘always downloading software updates’ can go a long way. Direct staff to www.cyberaware.gov.uk for the latest advice

Report all incidents of fraud and cybercrime to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or online at actionfraud.police.uk